Universal Tailgate Latch and Support

ABSTRACT

A universal tailgate latch and support system for receiving a commonly available latching mechanism. The latch housing secures the latch to the side of a vehicle cargo bed and allows the cargo door to be supported with a cable or the like when open and secured when closed. The housing may be modified to fit a variety of latches and lends itself to restoring a variety of new or vintage truck beds.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

None

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to latches for securing doors or gates, specifically latches used to secure the tailgates of trucks.

The truck market is in a constant state of flux. Most manufacturers of trucks and truck beds have changed their styles to meet the needs of the average consumer. The people that want to bring back early model trucks have had to adapt to the change. One change in particular is the latching mechanism on truck tailgates. Most of the step-side pickup truck beds relied on a chain to secure the tailgate to the bed of the truck; this was done by most manufacturers until the late 1980s. The chain offered support for the tailgate when it was parallel to the bed of the truck. When the gate was closed, in most cases, the chain was hooked to the bed of the truck to secure it in place. If the chain was outside the bed of the truck, the chain would rub against the body of the truck as it went down the road. For many people attempting to restore vintage trucks, this meant the chain would rub against a custom paint job that required a lot of money to restore. Additionally, the original manufacturer of the truck beds typically phases out the stocking of replacement body and bed parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment, the universal tailgate latch and support system is furnished in a kit to be assembled and installed by the person restoring a vintage truck bed (1). The latch kits are supplied as a left hand (2) and right hand (3) assembly. The housing (4) is meant to secure a commonly available rotary style latch (5) to the side of the bed (1). A template is provided to transfer bolt holes to the side of the bed (1) and the tailgate (4). The kit consists of a latch housing (6A), a latch housing backing plate (7A), a bear claw latch (5), a tailgate latch bolt bracket (8A), a latch bolt bracket backing plate (9), a threaded nut plate (10), an adjustable cable end clamp (11), a clamp backing plate (12), a cable end guard (13), a tailgate support cable (14), a latch bolt (15), and mounting hardware (16).

To install the universal tailgate latch and support mentioned above, lay the hole template on the inside side panel of the truck bed (1). Mark and drill the clearance holes to mount the latch housing (6A) to the side panel and the holes to mount the tailgate bracket (8A) to the tailgate (4). A nut plate (10) inserted in the side stake pocket (17) with threaded holes allows for blind attachment of the housing (6A) with bolts through the side of the bed (1). The use of the nut plate (10) allows for fastening without the use of a second wrench. The latch housing backing plate (7A) is fastened to the side of the truck bed (1) with the nut plate (10). The bear claw latch (5) is attached to the inside of the latch housing (6A). The latch housing (6A) is then fastened to the side of the truck bed (1).

The tailgate latch bolt bracket (8A) is attached to the inside of the tailgate (4). This bracket (8A) holds the bolt (15) that is captured by the latch (5) when the tailgate (4) is closed. The support cable (14) is supplied with a formed loop (14A) on one end with the other end (14B) open to allow for final adjustment. The closed loop (14A) is typically attached to the latch bolt bracket (8A) first with a bolt (18) and a clamp end guard (13). With the tailgate (4) at the desired open position, the support cable (14) is trimmed to length and a second loop (14B) is formed to be attached to the adjustable cable end clamp (11) and clamp backing plate (12). The adjustable cable end clamp (11) holding the support cable (14) is allowed to pivot during movement of the tailgate (4) with a shoulder bolt (19). A clamp pivot stopping tab (20) is provided to allow the end user to bend away from the sides of the truck bed to prevent the pivot from going back into the bed area during tailgate closure.

The above procedure is then repeated for the other side of the tailgate (4). With the exception of a right hand latch housing (6B), a right hand latch housing backing plate (7B), and a right hand latch bolt bracket (8B), the component parts of the left hand latch and support assembly (2) is similar to the right hand assembly (3).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,095 to Pribak (1998) teaches a latching and support mechanism that although hidden when the tailgate is closed, makes it difficult to mount on a wide variety of aftermarket tailgates when different styles of beds and gates are involved. U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,373 to Plett (2007) offers a very functional latching mechanism that is best installed by the truck manufacturer before the tailgate is fully assembled.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a truck bed with right and left hand latch and support kits installed in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the right hand kit assembled with some of the hardware removed in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a right hand latch and support assembly in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a simplified view of a left hand latch and support assembly in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a right hand latch and support assembly in its closed position in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a right hand latch and support assembly for use in a welded application in accordance with one embodiment. This assembly is for use when the installer wishes to weld the housing and brackets directly to the truck bed and tailgate rather than bolting them on. This installation may produce a cleaner appearance since it removes some of the hardware but it is also more difficult to install.

DRAWINGS Reference Numerals

-   1 Truck Bed -   2 Left Hand Latch and Support Assembly -   3 R.H. Latch and Support Assembly -   4 Tailgate -   5 Latch -   6A Left Hand Latch Housing -   6B Right Hand Latch Housing -   7A Left Hand Housing Backing Plate -   7B Right Hand Housing Backing Plate -   8A Left Hand Tailgate Latch Bolt Bracket -   8B Right Hand Tailgate Latch Bolt Bracket -   9 Latch Bolt Backing Plate -   10 Threaded Nut Plate -   11 Adjustable Cable End Clamp -   12 Clamp Backing Plate -   13 Cable End Guard -   14 Support Cable -   15 Latch Bolt -   16 Hardware -   17 Stake Pocket -   18 Closed End Cable Bolt -   19 Shoulder Bolt -   20 Clamp Pivot Stopping Tab 

1. A vehicle door latch housing and supporting assembly comprising: a. A u-shaped outer housing including an outer plate having a plurality of mounting holes for a latch and a cutout for receiving a latching bolt, two side plates perpendicular to said outer plate, and two coplanar mounting flanges parallel to said outer plate with at least one hole in each said flange, b. An L-shaped housing back plate including a back plate mounted in the same plane as said mounting flanges having mounting holes concentric to said mounting holes of said outer plate and an end plate perpendicular to said back plate having a cutout for receiving said latch bolt, c. A nut plate substantially invisibly mounted to said outer housing having threaded holes for receiving threaded fasteners that connect said housing to the side of a vehicle cargo bed, d. A pivotably mounted bed clamp having two parallel plate components, e. A flexible supporting member found in the category containing steel cables sandwiched between said plate components of said bed clamp, f. A pivotably mounted u-shaped gate clamp for securing a second end of said flexible supporting member, g. An L-shaped gate bracket having a first plate parallel to said side of a vehicle cargo bed further having at least one hole for securing said gate clamp and one hole for receiving said latch bolt and a second plate mounted parallel to the inner surface of a vehicle cargo door further having a plurality of holes for securing to said cargo door, h. A fastening plate mounted to the outside of said vehicle cargo door having mounting holes concentric with said holes in said second plate of said gate bracket, whereby said vehicle door latch housing and supporting assembly secures said latch bolt in said latch housing when said vehicle door is closed and supports said vehicle door with said flexible supporting member when said vehicle door is open.
 2. The u-shaped outer housing of claim 1 wherein the lower flange of said outer housing contains a tab that is bent perpendicular to said lower flange to partially restrict the rotation of said bed clamp.
 1. A vehicle door latch housing and supporting assembly comprising: a. A u-shaped outer housing including an outer plate having a plurality of mounting holes for a latch and a cutout for receiving a latching bolt, two side plates perpendicular to said outer plate, and two coplanar mounting flanges parallel to said outer plate with at least one hole in each said flange, b. A side housing plate having a cutout for receiving said latch bolt mounted perpendicular to said outer housing, c. A pivotably mounted bed clamp having two parallel plate components, d. A flexible supporting member found in the category containing steel cables sandwiched between said plate components of said bed clamp, e. A pivotably mounted u-shaped gate clamp for securing a second end of said flexible supporting member, f. An L-shaped gate bracket having a first plate parallel to said side of a vehicle cargo bed further having at least one hole for securing said gate clamp and one hole for receiving said latch bolt and a second plate mounted parallel to the inner surface of a vehicle cargo door further having a plurality of holes for securing to said cargo door, whereby said vehicle door latch housing and supporting assembly secures said latch bolt in said latch housing when said vehicle door is closed and supports said vehicle door with said flexible supporting member when said vehicle door is open.
 4. The u-shaped outer housing of claim 3 wherein the lower flange of said outer housing contains a tab that is bent perpendicular to said lower flange to partially restrict the rotation of said bed clamp. 